Editorial City should look hard for administrator

Barbara Warren has announced her retirement effective December 31 (see story, page 1). The City of Sisters needs to find a top-quality manager to succeed her.

Sisters is changing rapidly. Growth and the transformation from a small, touristy residential community to a bustling resort, commercial and light industrial town are forcing local government officials to scramble to keep up.

The new administrator will shape the future of Sisters. A good one can insure that the community maintains a high quality of life --while we work to accommodate the ever-increasing numbers of people drawn here to enjoy it.

The city council should take a page from the playbook of the Sisters School Board, whose search for a new superintendent a few years back was a model of thoroughness.

The council should get search support from the League of Oregon Cities, form a broad committee to review applications and conduct exhaustive interviews. Councilors should visit the cities where the finalists have worked to find out first-hand what kind of job they did and how they fit their communities.

Finally, the council may also want to re-examine the nature of the job itself. It may be hard to attract top-quality applicants to a job that requires the administrator to be her own secretary.

Choosing a new administrator is likely the most important task these councilors will undertake. They must take the time to do it right.

J.C.